A survey recently carried out by a health charity in the UK has shown that nearly one in four women don’t plan to use sunscreen this summer to protect themselves against skin damage!

This is clearly an unwelcome subject when you’re thinking about lazing in the sunshine, swimming in the sea or just catching some quick rays on your lunch break but if you want healthy, glowing skin all year round then you have to wise up and get protected.

Some things you may want to know about preventing sunburn and skin damage:

Beware the Clouds

Over 70% of the sun’s UV rays can penetrate through the clouds even on a day that seems as grey as concrete. So you will sunburn and damage your skin if you stay in the sun too long unprotected by an SPF sunscreen.

How Long Does it Take to Get Sunburn?

What do you think 5, 10, 15 or 20 minutes? It depends entirely on the time of day. If you’re out in the sun at the peak hours between 11am and 5pm then sunburn can literally happen in 5 minutes. If you ensure your daily moisturizer contains an SPF 15 or higher and you use SPF 40 mineral sunscreen then you’ll be a good way to protecting yourself against skin damage sensibly.

Your Future Will be Bright if You Shade

Sunglasses, umbrella’s, hats, shirts, trees and cabana’s all provide shade which is vital in your protection against the sun. Don’t think for a second that you can wear a t-shirt in the water and prevent sunburn; the sun’s UV rays are so strong that they will penetrate right through the t-shirt!

Always Wear a Sunscreen

Sunscreen isn’t there to protect you from getting sun ‘burnt’ it is there to help protect against UV ‘damage’ which can happen any time of year, any time of day and to anyone including you, your kids and even your pets.

The higher the sunscreen doesn’t mean the longer you can stay in the sun, it just means that you’re giving yourself better protection from the sun’s Ultraviolet rays which damage your skin.

An SFP of 34 or higher provides you with over 97% protection against the sun’s harmful UV rays. You should choose a sunscreen that also protects against UVA radiation as those are the rays responsible for causing premature aging and wrinkles!

Sun's Effects on the Skin

UV(A) rays penetrate deep into your skins layers and then damage the collagen and there’s no way back once this has occurred. 80% of skin damage is caused by the sun so if you want to stay looking youthful and fresh then stay well protected against sunburn and over exposure.

Will the Sun Clear my Acne?

Lots of people believe that sunbathing will help to clear up acne and other related skin problems. This isn’t the case and if you have acne you can cause a lot more permanent damage to your skin by lying in the sun. The Ultraviolet light creates free radicals which can cause internal skin damage, premature aging and further problems with your skin.

What happens if I Stay in the Sun too Long?

People who stay in the sun for too long or too often, without enough sun protection or proper clothing tend to go from grape to raisin in a fairly short amount of time. You may end up with a tan for a short while but the long term affects can range from wrinkling, dehydration, cell damage, decreased collagen and increased free radicals which all add up to skin damage.

Do you want to end up looking like a piece of dried fruit or protect your skin against damage and enjoy plump, healthy and smooth looking skin?